Generally, there are two types of shower stalls, pre-made and custom fabricated stalls. Custom fabricated stalls are often utilized for home renovations when it is difficult to transport large building materials through home doorways. Custom fabricated stalls are also used for installations not having a “typical” or industry standard sized shower area. These stalls are often tiled for decorative and aesthetic appeal. Typically, when constructing a custom tiled shower stall, the stall area is pre-fitted with a waterproof liner, shower pan, or other water impermeable surface to prevent water from leaking from the stall. Generally, the decorative tiles are then set in mortar over the liner to form the interior wall of the stall. However, tiled shower stalls are known to leak for a variety of reasons.
One such reason for shower stall leaks stems from damage to the waterproof shower liner or membrane. For example, a hole or tear in the liner can occur during the installation of the tile, which can require an installer to start all over in constructing the custom shower stall. Other leaks occur from damage to the shower pan or liner caused by the settling of the house. Regardless of how the leaks are born, significant damage can occur to the structure of the house as a result of the water leaks. Such damage can be costly and time consuming to correct.
Another problem with existing custom shower stalls is the difficulty in connecting the shower stall's water drain to the standard drainpipe in the floor of the house. Presently, custom-built shower basins typically utilize specialized drain plumbing to connect the two, which results in additional plumbing work, hassle, and cost.
Thus it can be seen that needs exist for improvements to custom-built shower bases to prevent water from leaking from the shower stall. It can also be seen that needs exist for shower bases that allow a direct, reliable and universal connection between the shower drain and the interior plumbing of a house.